Dan Beaver's Fantasy Racing News

July 27, 2010

Back-to-back races on flat tracks give fantasy owners and drivers a chance to build momentum in the race to the Chase. Check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf) for a list of drivers to place and hold.

July 24, 2010

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the most weather sensitive tracks on the circuit and that means winners can come from anywhere in the field. Pole sitters are also not always the best value as you will see in this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf).

July 20, 2010

Indy quickly became one of the most anticipated races of the season when it was added to the schedule 17 years ago. This week, nothing takes the place of winning and that is the same for fantasy owners as it is for Cup drivers. Check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards and David Reutimann have outperformed the field in 2010 night races based on their average finishes. And while the trio has just one combined win in night races – Reutimann’s victory in the most-recent evening race at Chicago – their consistently strong night race finishes may make them instant favorites entering Atlanta’s Sept. 5 race date.

Despite failing to win an event thus far in 2010, Gordon has been near unmatched in the year’s night races, posting an average finish of 3.3 and finishing no worse than sixth in the six evening affairs. With four top-three finishes in 2010 night events and four-career wins in Atlanta, Gordon should enter Atlanta Motor Speedway with high expectations for a race he finished eighth in a year ago.

Like Gordon, Edwards has been held winless in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, yet has been exceptional in races held at night. Edwards has an average finish at night of 8.5 and has twice finished in the top-five positions, with his best showing a second-place in last weekend’s night contest in Chicago. Also like Gordon, Edwards has a history of success at Atlanta Motor Speedway, further making the Missouri native more likeable on Labor Day Weekend; Edwards has three Sprint Cup Series wins in Atlanta, included his first ever.

Having just claimed his first victory of 2010 in last week’s night race, David Reutimann has had tremendous success in 2010’s evening events. With three top-10 finishes and an average night-time finish of 10.3, Reutimann will likely be among the preferred drivers entering Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, an event he finished fourth in a year ago.

Furthermore for Reutimann, if you remove his worst night-race finish – a 20th-place showing in the year’s first evening event - his average finish increases to 8.4.

When showing similar statistical courtesy to other drivers, an additional pair of contenders emerges for Atlanta’s Labor Day weekend of night racing. By removing Kevin Harvick’s most-recent finish at Chicago, a 34th-place showing, the points leader’s average night race finish jumps to 6.8 from 11.16, besting Edwards and Reutimann. After finishing second at Atlanta last summer and performing well in this year’s night races, Harvick should be a contender again in 2010.

Kyle Busch, statistically hampered by a 40th-place finish in Daytona’s evening event, also has a tremendous average night race finish when removing this outlier; withholding Daytona, Busch has an average result of 7.2 in 2010 night races. With his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory coming at Atlanta and with four additional Camping World Truck Series wins at the track, Busch should also enter Atlanta with high hopes.

The biggest Labor Day party in the USA is at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup stars head to the high banks for night racing on Sept. 4 and 5. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

July 6, 2010

Cookies were never as sweet as when they follow a Restrictor-plate superspeedway race. This week, look for consistency to help set your lineup. Check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

July 2, 2010

Qualification was rained out for the Coke Zero 400—not that it matters. Winners can come from anywhere in the field and the pole sitter is as likely to crash as a back marker, as we point out in this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf).

June 25, 2010

This week, we've added two new features: in addition to where the winner has started, you will now find a chart detailing where the pole sitter has finished. Beginning with the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, the highest qualified driver in each Group will always be detailed, so check out this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf) and let me know if the new features are helpful.

June 22, 2010

If not for the threat of retaliation from half the field against the other half, this would be an easy race to handicap. After the shenanigans at Infineon, check out our best choices in this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

June 18, 2010

It can be extremely difficult to pass on the road courses, but in recent years coming from the back of the field has been the norm. Who'll earn top-10s from the front and who'll come from the back? Check out this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf) for our best guesses.

June 14, 2010

Cup drivers are not accustomed to turning right and left in a race, but some are better than others. For the top regulars and road ringers, check out this week's picks in the Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

June 8, 2010

Another green-white-checkered finish wrecked the finish of the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 last week. Undaunted, it's time to reload and check out this week's picks in the Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

June 4, 2010

This week, you will find two new stats that should help you set your Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 roster. Check them out in this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf), and then Tweet me @FantasyRace to tell me if you believe they were helpful.

June 1, 2010

Parity continues to reign supreme as only four drivers have swept the top 10 at Pocono Raceway during the last two seasons. There are still some solid picks in this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

May 24, 2010

Only 12 weeks into the season and NASCAR is coming off yet another off-week. Refreshed, the drivers are ready to tackle 600 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so check out our best picks in this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

May 15, 2010

Kasey Kahne posted the quickest average speed in Dover's Happy Hour with a 151.805 mph during 33 laps. That far outpaced his fastest single lap of 152.912 mph, which was only 17th best.

Our View Kahne has not yet cracked the top five at Dover, but last year, he swept the top 10. If he fits the final niche on your roster, he's worth considering, but you don't want to build a roster around him.

Denny Hamlin had only the seventh fastest single lap in Dover's morning session, but he posted the quickest average speed of 152.955 during 26 laps.

Our View Last week, he proved just how tough he is by sweeping victory lane at Darlington Raceway in the Cup and Nationwide Series. Dover is not his best track, but with the momentum he has this season, he should still be considered a favorite.

Jimmie Johnson set the fastest single lap in the Saturday morning practice session at Dover International Speedway with a speed of 154.999 mph; his average speed of 152.099 during 33 laps was eighth best.

Our View Johnson continues to try and prove that the accidents he suffered in two of the last three races are not going to affect him. By the numbers alone, he should be considered a favorite, but the intangible factor of luck may not be on his side.

May 14, 2010

Nearly 80 percent of Dover's winners have started on the first five rows, giving 10 drivers a distinct advantage on Sunday. Find out if your favorite is among them in this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf).

Elliott Sadler cut a tire and slammed the wall in the early minutes of practice; he will roll out a backup car.

Our View Sadler probably thought this would be a good day after qualifying on the outside of the front row for the Craftsman Truck Series race. His primary car was only 30th on the speed chart at the time of his incident and it's unlikely his backup will be much better.

May 11, 2010

The toughest tracks on NASCAR's circuit are often the most predictable because it allows the cream to rise to the top. This week, the best picks are in Group A, so check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf) to see who we think will win.

May 7, 2010

Three drivers broke last year's track record and that increase in speed is part of the reason why this track has become so tricky this year. Statistically, your best choices will come from drivers starting near the font; check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story to find out who they are.

"The Lady in Black" continues to be "Too Tough to Tame" and the first Darlington stripe came barely five minutes into the first session. According to @NASCAR, Joey Logano was the first driver to get a stripe.

Jimmie Johnson had only the seventh fastest single lap in Darlington's Happy Hour, but he was quickest over the long run with a speed of 175.316 mph during 11 laps.

Our View With six top-fives in the last eight Darlington starts—including a sweep of victory lane in 2004—he has to be one of the favorites to win the Showtime Southern 500.

Most importantly, he kept from hitting the wall, which is something 13 other drivers could not report. For a complete list of drivers involved in incidents in the combined practice sessions, check out Darlington Stripes, a rolling list of drivers who have made contact with the wall this weekend.

A.J. Allmendinger posted the fastest single lap of the first practice session with a speed of 173.271 mph. He also posted the quickest average speed among drivers inside the top 35 in points with a mark of 170.542 mph during 34 laps.

Our View Most importantly, he avoided the wall and was not one of the seven drivers who suffered a Darlington stripe. For a complete list of these drivers, check out Darlington Stripes, a rolling list of drivers who have made contact with the wall this weekend.

May 4, 2010

Darlington is "Too Tough to Tame," but over during the years, certain drivers have found the right whip. To find out which six drivers have four or more consecutive top-15s, check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

April 27, 2010

Texas had one "Big One" crash, so not to be outdone, Talladega featured three. If that were not enough to decimate your roster, then four cautions in rapid succession at the end of the Aaron's 499 completely shook up the lineup. Now the series rolls onto a nice, safe short track. Check out this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

April 24, 2010

Starting the race by points is as good a way as any at Talladega SuperSpeedway. This week, we've added a chart showing where the winners have come from and as expected it's all over the board. Check out this week's Yahoo! Qualification story (.pdf).

April 20, 2010

After last week's "Big One" crash at Texas Motor Speedway, it would seem that matters couldn't get worse at Talladega SuperSpeedway. Then again, this has always been a lottery, so you will want to read this week's Yahoo! Fantasy Racing preview (.pdf).

April 19, 2010

Denny Hamlin's ACL surgery doesn't seem to be slowing him any: he held off the "cookie-cutter" king Jimmie Johnson to win the Samsung Mobile 500.

Our View Another late caution set up another wild finish. This time, a lap-311 yellow stacked the field up and contributed to a nine car accident that eliminated the dominant driver of the day when Jeff Gordon rubbed Tony Stewart in a three-wide incident that started the melee.

Greg Biffle posted the single fastest lap in the first practice session for the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 190.813 mph.

Our View Biffle enters the weekend with three consecutive Texas top-10s, but only one of those came after he started on one of the first five rows. He should be able to improve that record in time trials.

April 13, 2010

Cookies were never so sweet. Four green-white-checkered finishes in the first seven races have created havoc in fantasy owners' lineups and it will be nice to get to a track type that should be predictable. It would be nice, that is, if the "cookie-cutter" tracks were still predictable. Find out why this may not be true in this week's Yahoo! fantasy racing preview (.pdf).

April 10, 2010

Ryan Newman has not visited victory lane on one of the short, flat tracks (Phoenix, New Hampshire, Richmond and Martinsville) in his last 37 attempts, but he had the right stuff Saturday night in the Subway Fresh Fit 600k. He got a great restart and beat Jeff Gordon back to the line.

Our View His last victory on this track type came in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire and top-fives have been hard to come by, but he rewarded his faithful fans this week.

Mark Martin posted the quickest average speed in Phoenix's Happy Hour with a speed of 129.775 during 10 laps.

Our View None of the drivers at the very top of the list posted very many laps, so it is difficult to put too much emphasis on his time. However, Martin won this race last year, so one must assume he knows what he needs to feel.

Jeff Gordon posted the single fastest lap in Happy Hour with a speed of 131.444 mph.

Our View His average speed of 126.672 mph during 28 laps was way down the list, however. Gordon has some strong runs at Phoenix, but for the most part this has been one of his less successful tracks. Leave him in the garage this week.